(commonly known as '''Coachella''') is a three-day (formerly a one or two-day) annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Fields in
Indio ,
California . The event features many genres of music including
Alternative Rock ,
Hip Hop , and
Electronica as well as large sculptural art. The event has several stages/tents set-up throughout the grounds, each playing live music continuously. The main stages are: Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent (2006 also saw the addition of a smaller Oasis Dome).
The Coachella Music Festival has a
Desert setting (the city of Indio is a part of the
Colorado Desert ), with daytime temperatures frequently rising to over 100°
F (38°
C ). The festival enjoys little cloud cover or shade. The temperature drops drastically after sunset.
The first Coachella festival was held on October 9 and 10, 1999, just a mere three months after the disastrous
Woodstock 99 festival. Due to the fires and riots of Woodstock, Coachella promoters weren't allowed to offer onsite camping to its visitors, a ban that would continue until the 2002 festival. Unlike the widely-criticized Woodstock festival, notorious for its $4 bottles of water, Coachella promoters handed out a free bottle of water to all attendees, except in 2007, water bottles were sold for $2 a piece or were free if an attendee recycled 10 bottles of water found on the site.
About 25,000 people attended the two-day inaugural event, supporting headlining acts
Beck ,
The Chemical Brothers ,
Tool , and
Rage Against The Machine . Other acts included
Jurassic 5 ,
DJ Shadow , and
Underworld . Originally, promoters had hoped to make the event three days (Friday-Sunday) and even considered the UK band
Massive Attack to be the third day headliner - but those plans never came to fruition. The event went smoothly, with the biggest complaints being the blistering heat. It is reported, however, that the event failed to generate any profit, which nearly put an end to the festival.
No festival took place in 2000, likely due to the financial troubles of the inaugural festival. In 2001, however, festival organizers decided to give it another try. They decided to move the event to April (to avoid the intense heat of the late summer), and it was only scheduled for one day, most likely due to a tighter budget. However, the 2001 organizers once again ran into some trouble organizing the festival. Just months before the event was to occur, promoters still did not have a big headliner, and the festival was once again at risk of turning a net loss. In a surprise move, promoters turned to friend
Perry Farrell , and were able to bring a reunited
Jane's Addiction to the main stage as the event's headlining act.
In 2002, the event once again returned to the two-day format, and saw a reunited
Siouxsie & The Banshees , as well as headlining acts
Björk and
Oasis . The strong supporting acts helped prove to the community of
Indio, California that the event was capable of bringing in money and ending without conflict.
Following the 2002 festival, Coachella began to generate large-scale interest, and the 2003 festival featuring
Red Hot Chili Peppers and
The Beastie Boys (as well as a reunited
Iggy Pop and
The Stooges ) drew the largest crowd yet. (This record, however, was broken by
Rage Against The Machine 's 2007 reunion performance which drew nearly 100,000 people in attendance just for them.) Around this time, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival began to develop worldwide interest.
The 2004 event, featuring a reunion of the
Pixies , as well as
Radiohead ,
The Cure ,
Kraftwerk and a number of other major bands, was the event's first sellout, with 50,000 tickets sold for each Saturday and Sunday. Since then, the festival has continued to generate large draws due to strong lineups from top to bottom, including such bands as
Nine Inch Nails ,
Coldplay ,
Depeche Mode ,
Tool ,
Daft Punk , and
Massive Attack .
The 2007 show was extended to three days and included headliners
Red Hot Chili Peppers , a reunited
Rage Against The Machine , and
Björk for a second time. Other notable performers included
Arcade Fire , which had made a memorable 2005 Coachella appearance,
LCD Soundsystem ,
Manu Chao , a rare American performance by former
Pulp -frontman
Jarvis Cocker , and
Scarlett Johansson singing with a reunited
The Jesus And Mary Chain .
Each year, the festival also features interesting
Installation Art and
Sculpture s. Most of the pieces are interactive, and provide entertainment and eye candy for attendees walking throughout the Polo grounds. Many of the works were initially created for the
Burning Man festival. In contrast to the largely non-repeating roster of musical artists represented at the festival, a few of the visual artists, such as
Robochrist Industries ,
The Mutaytor ,
Cyclecide , and
The Do LaB , have appeared during several consecutive years at Coachella.
April 25th, 26th, and 27th
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Arctic Monkeys ,
Benny Benassi , ,
Brazilian Girls ,
Brother Ali ,
Busdriver ,
Circa Survive ,
Jarvis Cocker ,
Comedians Of Comedy ,
Digitalism ,
DJ Shadow ,
El-P ,
Evil Nine ,
Faithless ,
Felix Da Housecat ,
Flosstradamus with
Kid Sister ,
Gogol Bordello ,
David Guetta ,
Interpol ,
The Jesus And Mary Chain ,
Stephen Marley featuring
Jr. Gong ,
Nickel Creek ,
Noisettes ,
Of Montreal ,
Peaches ,
Peeping Tom ,
Satellite Party ,
Silversun Pickups ,
Sonic Youth ,
Tilly And The Wall ,
Tokyo Police Club ,
Julieta Venegas ,
Rufus Wainwright ,
Gillian Welch ,
Amy Winehouse
We Are Scientists cancelled due to
conflicts with recording schedule
!!! ,
Arcade Fire ,
Andrew Bird ,
The Black Keys ,
Blonde Redhead ,
Busy P and
DJ Mehdi ,
The Chuck Dukowski Sextet ,
The Civilians ,
CocoRosie ,
Cornelius ,
The Cribs ,
The Decemberists ,
DJ Heather ,
Roky Erickson And The Explosives ,
Fields ,
Fountains Of Wayne ,
The Frames ,
The Fratellis ,
Ghostface Killah ,
Girl Talk ,
The Good, The Bad And The Queen ,
Gotan Project ,
Hot Chip ,
Jack's Mannequin ,
Justice ,
Kings Of Leon ,
Lady Miss Kier ,
LCD Soundsystem ,
MSTRKRFT ,
The New Pornographers ,
The Nightwatchman ,
Ozomatli ,
Peter Bjorn And John ,
Pharaohe Monch ,
The Rapture ,
,
Mike Relm ,
Sparklehorse ,
Regina Spektor ,
Travis ,
Tiësto
Against Me! ,
Air ,
Lily Allen ,
Anathallo ,
The Avett Brothers ,
Manu Chao ,
The Coup ,
Crowded House ,
CSS ,
Cut Chemist ,
Explosions In The Sky ,
Fair To Midland ,
The Feeling ,
José González ,
Grizzly Bear ,
Richie Hawtin ,
Happy Mondays ,
Infected Mushroom ,
Junior Boys ,
Kaiser Chiefs ,
Kid Beyond ,
Klaxons ,
Konono N°1 ,
The Kooks ,
Amos Lee ,
The Lemonheads ,
Lupe Fiasco ,
Mando Diao ,
Mika ,
Willie Nelson ,
Placebo ,
,
Ratatat ,
Damien Rice ,
Rodrigo Y Gabriela ,
The Roots ,
Soulwax ,
Spank Rock ,
Tapes 'n Tapes ,
Teddybears ,
Paul Van Dyk ,
VNV Nation .
performing on April 29.]]
Animal Collective ,
Atmosphere ,
Audio Bullys ,
Devendra Banhart ,
Joey Beltram ,
Derrick Carter ,
Cat Power ,
Celebration ,
Chris Liberator ,
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ,
Colette ,
Matt Costa ,
Carl Cox ,
Common ,
- the--- headlining act on the final lineup card http://www.meshsf.com/blogs/uploaded_images/coachella_022806_452x615-765573.jpg-->
Damian Marley ,
Deerhoof ,
,
The Duke Spirit ,
Eagles Of Death Metal ,
Franz Ferdinand ,
Head Automatica ,
Hybrid featuring
Perry Farrell ,
Imogen Heap ,
Infusion ,
The Juan Maclean ,
Kanye West ,
Lady Sovereign ,
Ladytron ,
The Like ,
Living Things ,
Lyrics Born ,
My Morning Jacket ,
The New Amsterdams ,
Nine Black Alps ,
Platinum Pied Pipers ,
Rob Dickinson ,
The Section Quartet ,
She Wants Revenge ,
Shy FX &
T Power ,
Sigur Rós ,
- " class="copylinks">Stellastarr--- ,
Tosca ,
TV On The Radio ,
The Walkmen ,
White Rose Movement ,
Wolfmother ,
Youth Group ,
The Zutons
Amadou & Mariam ,
Art Brut ,
Be Your Own PET ,
Bloc Party ,
Coheed And Cambria ,
Coldcut ,
The Dears ,
Digable Planets ,
Dungen ,
Editors ,
Gabriel & Dresden ,
Giant Drag ,
The Go! Team ,
Gnarls Barkley ,
Infadels ,
James Blunt ,
Jamie Lidell ,
Jazzanova ,
Kaskade ,
Los Amigos Invisibles ,
Madonna ,
The Magic Numbers ,
Massive Attack ,
Mates Of State ,
Matisyahu ,
Michael Mayer ,
Metric ,
Minus The Bear ,
Mogwai ,
MURS featuring
9th Wonder ,
Mylo (DJ set),
Paul Oakenfold ,
OneRepublic ,
The Octopus Project ,
Gilles Peterson ,
Phoenix ,
Scissor Sisters ,
Seu Jorge ,
Kristina Sky ,
Sleater-Kinney ,
,
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists ,
Louie Vega ,
Wolf Parade ,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Ambulance LTD ,
Amp Fiddler ,
Bauhaus ,
Bloc Party ,
Boom Bip ,
Buck 65 ,
Café Tacuba ,
Hernan Cattaneo ,
The Chemical Brothers ,
,
Jamie Cullum ,
DJ Marky ,
DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell),
Eisley ,
Evil Nine ,
Fantômas ,
Four Tet ,
Jean Grae ,
Gratitude ,
Immortal Technique ,
Katie Melua ,
Keane ,
The Kills ,
K-os ,
M83 ,
Mercury Rev ,
MF Doom ,
Nic Armstrong And The Thieves ,
Razorlight ,
The Raveonettes ,
Rilo Kiley ,
Sage Francis ,
The Secret Machines ,
The Sexy Magazines ,
Snow Patrol ,
Spoon ,
Swayzak ,
Tiga ,
UNKLE ,
Weezer ,
Wilco ,
Josh Wink ,
Zap Mama
Aesop Rock ,
Arcade Fire ,
Armin Van Buuren ,
Autolux ,
Beans ,
Ben Watt ,
Black Star ,
The Blood Brothers ,
The Bravery ,
Bright Eyes ,
British Sea Power ,
Diplo ,
DJ Krush ,
Donavon Frankenreiter ,
The Dresden Dolls ,
The Faint ,
The Fiery Furnaces ,
The Futureheads ,
Gang Of Four ,
Gram Rabbit ,
Jem ,
Junkie XL ,
Kasabian ,
The Locust ,
M.I.A. ,
Matmos ,
Matthew Dear ,
Midlake ,
Miss Kittin ,
New Order ,
,
The Perceptionists ,
Pinback ,
The Prodigy ,
Radio 4 ,
Roni Size ,
Roots Manuva ,
Shout Out Louds ,
Sixtoo ,
Sloan ,
Stereophonics ,
Subtle ,
Tegan And Sara ,
Thrice ,
Wolf Eyes ,
Zion I
- Cocteau Twins cancelled a month prior to the show.
- Doves cancelled a few days prior due to an illness in the group.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead ,
Beck ,
The Black Keys ,
Boozoo Bajou ,
Da Lata ,
Danny Howells ,
Death Cab For Cutie ,
The Desert Sessions ,
Dios ,
DJ Icon
DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell),
Electric Six ,
Erase Errata ,
The Evens ,
Eyedea &
DJ Abilities ,
Mark Farina ,
Laurent Garnier ,
Hieroglyphics ,
Howie Day ,
The (International) Noise Conspiracy ,
Junior Senior ,
Kinky ,
Kraftwerk ,
LCD Soundsystem ,
Living Legends ,
Mindless Self Indulgence ,
Juana Molina ,
Moving Units ,
Phantom Planet ,
Pixies ,
Q And Not U ,
,
The Rapture ,
Sahara Hotnights ,
Sander Kleinenberg ,
Savath & Savalas ,
Seb Fontaine ,
The Section Quartet ,
The Sounds ,
Sparta ,
- " class="copylinks">Stellastarr--- ,
Stereolab ,
The Stills
!!! ,
2manydjs ,
Adam Freeland ,
Air ,
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra ,
Ash ,
Atmosphere ,
Basement Jaxx ,
Beck ,
Belle & Sebastian ,
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ,
Bright Eyes ,
Broken Social Scene ,
The Cooper Temple Clause ,
The Crystal Method ,
,
Cursive ,
Dizzee Rascal ,
DJ Danger Mouse ,
Donald Glaude ,
Elefant ,
Ferry Corsten ,
The Flaming Lips ,
Home Town Hero ,
Le Tigre ,
The Killers ,
MF Doom ,
Mogwai ,
Muse ,
Paul Van Dyk ,
Prefuse 73 ,
Pretty Girls Make Graves ,
Sage Francis ,
Saul Williams ,
The Section Quartet ,
Sidestepper ,
The Sleepy Jackson ,
Supernatural ,
Thelonious Monster ,
The Thrills ,
Thursday ,
T. Raumschmiere ,
Whitestarr
Amon Tobin ,
Badly Drawn Boy ,
,
Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals ,
Ben Kweller ,
Blue Man Group ,
Blur ,
Christopher Lawrence ,
Darren Emerson ,
,
Dillinja and Lemon D,
Division Of Laura Lee ,
The Donnas ,
Felix Da Housecat ,
Gomez ,
Groove Armada ,
Hernan Cattaneo ,
The Hives ,
Hot Hot Heat ,
Idlewild ,
Jaylib ,
Joseph Arthur ,
Kinky ,
Ladytron ,
The Libertines ,
Little Louie Vega and
Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales ,
The Mooney Suzuki ,
The Music ,
N.E.R.D ,
Nightmares On Wax ,
Particle ,
Peanut Butter Wolf ,
Queens Of The Stone Age ,
The Rapture ,
Roger Sanchez ,
South ,
Spymob ,
Stereo Total ,
Talib Kweli
22-20s ,
Aesop Rock ,
Ben Folds ,
Black Eyed Peas ,
Blue Man Group ,
Café Tacuba ,
DB ,
Deep Dish ,
Dirty Vegas ,
DJ Irene ,
Eisley ,
El-P ,
Fischerspooner ,
G. Love & Special Sauce ,
Iggy Pop and
The Stooges ,
Interpol ,
Jack Johnson ,
Johnny Marr And The Healers ,
The Kinison ,
The Libertines ,
The Mars Volta ,
Mouse On Mars ,
Mr. Lif ,
MURS ,
Perry Farrell - DJ Set,
The Polyphonic Spree ,
Primal Scream ,
,
Richie Hawtin ,
RJD2 ,
Rooney ,
Sonic Youth ,
The Soundtrack Of Our Lives ,
Thievery Corporation ,
Timo Maas ,
Tortoise ,
Underworld ,
Whirlwind Heat ,
The White Stripes
The Beta Band ,
,
Lee Burridge ,
Cake ,
Charlatans UK ,
The Chemical Brothers ,
Citizen Cope ,
Cornershop ,
DJ Z-Trip
Folk Implosion ,
Forest For The Trees ,
G. Love & Special Sauce ,
Groove Armada ,
Jack Johnson ,
Jimmy Van M. ,
Jurassic 5 ,
Kosheen ,
KRS-One ,
The (International) Noise Conspiracy ,
The Pharcyde ,
Princess Superstar ,
Queens Of The Stone Age ,
Sasha &
John Digweed ,
Saul Williams ,
Siouxsie & The Banshees ,
The Vines ,
Pete Yorn
Bad Boy Bill ,
Belle & Sebastian ,
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ,
Blonde Redhead ,
BT ,
Christopher Lawrence ,
Dilated Peoples ,
DJ Dan ,
DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell),
DJ Tiesto ,
Elbow ,
Fairview ,
Foo Fighters ,
Galactic ,
The Mars Volta ,
Medusa and
Cut Chemist ,
Mos Def ,
,
Ozomatli ,
Pete Tong ,
Ping Pong Bitches ,
The Prodigy ,
Rock Steady Crew ,
Sandra Collins ,
Saves The Day ,
Sound Tribe Sector 9 ,
The Strokes ,
Triple Threat ,
Zero 7 ,
Mix Master Mike ,
Jack Black of
Tenacious D
Aceyalone ,
Adam Freeland ,
AK1200 ,
Andrea Parker ,
Bad Company ,
Jason Bentley ,
Jason Blakemore ,
Blonde Redhead ,
The Chemical Brothers ,
Nikka Costa ,
The Dandy Warhols ,
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien ,
Detroit Grand Pubahs ,
Dieselboy ,
DJ Rinse &
Flux ,
DJ Z-Trip ,
Doc Martin ,
Fatboy Slim ,
Gangstarr ,
Ian Pooley ,
Iggy Pop ,
,
DJ Dara ,
Kruder & Dorfmeister ,
Christopher Lawrence ,
Medusa ,
Mos Def ,
The New Deal ,
The Nortec Collective ,
The Orb ,
Ozomatli ,
Paul Oakenfold ,
Pedro The Lion ,
Photek ,
Plaid ,
Raymond Roker ,
The Roots ,
Saint Germain ,
Sigur Rós ,
Roni Size and
Reprazent ,
Smith & Mighty ,
Souls Of Mischief ,
Squarepusher ,
Supernatural ,
Tricky ,
Überzone ,
Weezer
A Perfect Circle ,
Amon Tobin ,
Art Of Noise ,
At The Drive-In ,
Bassbin Twins ,
,
The Bicycle Thief ,
Bis ,
Breakbeat Era ,
The Chemical Brothers ,
Christopher Lawrence ,
Cornelius ,
Derrick May ,
DJ Food ,
DJ Rap ,
Die ,
Dynamite MC ,
IQU ,
Juan Atkins ,
Jurassic 5 ,
Kevin Saunderson ,
Kid Koala ,
Los Amigos Invisibles ,
Medeski Martin & Wood ,
Ming + FS ,
Modest Mouse ,
Morrissey ,
Mr. Scruff ,
µ-Ziq ,
Nightmares On Wax ,
Perry Farrell ,
Plastikman ,
Richie Hawtin ,
Roni Size ,
Sandra Collins ,
Simply Jeff ,
Spiritualized ,
Super Furry Animals ,
Tomas ,
Underworld ,
The Wiseguys
4 Hero ,
A-Trak ,
Andy Maddocks ,
The Angel aka
60 Channels ,
Autechre ,
Banco De Gaia ,
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals ,
BT ,
Carl Craig Innerzone Orchestra ,
Cibo Matto ,
DJ Cam ,
DJ Shadow ,
Esthero ,
Fantastic Plastic Machine ,
Gil Scott-Heron ,
GusGus ,
Jun ,
Kool Keith ,
Lamb ,
LTJ Bukem and
Blame ,
Luke Vibert ,
MC Conrad ,
MC Question Mark ,
Mira Calix ,
Mixmaster Mike ,
Moby ,
Money Mark ,
Neotropic ,
Pavement ,
Push Button Objects ,
,
Q-Bert ,
Rahzel ,
Raymond Roker ,
Rob Hall ,
Scratch Perverts UK ,
Slipmaster J ,
Spearhead ,
Thievery Corporation ,
,
Ugly Duckling
the vision decision
Installation arts often receive a much smaller attention then musical arts; nevertheless, Coachella invites many notable installation and performance artists every year.
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In 2001, the festival organizers were having trouble attracting a major headlining band. Running out of time, they went to friend
Perry Farrell , who reunited
Jane's Addiction in order to headline that year's event. Since then, it has become somewhat of a Coachella tradition to reunite at least one band for each festival. Although the line between a hiatus and an actual breakup is somewhat blurry, a number of artists are considered to have been reunited at Coachella, or have played Coachella as one of their first major shows after a reunion. The following is a list of performers who reunited or made a big return at a Coachella festival.
In order to keep each festival unique and fresh, the organizers of Coachella tend to book performers who have not appeared at the festival previously. To date, there have been only fifteen individuals or artists who have played at Coachella more than twice.
- --- Blonde Redhead - 2001, 2002, 2007
- --- Christopher Lawrence - 1999, 2002, 2003
- --- Maynard James Keenan - 1999 (performed with both A Perfect Circle and Tool ), 2006 (with Tool)
- --- Tom Morello - 1999 (with Rage Against The Machine ), 2007 (as both The Nightwatchman and as part of Rage Against The Machine )
- --- Mos Def - 2001, 2002, 2005 (as part of Black Star)
- --- DJ Peretz - 2002, 2004, 2005 (three of Perry Farrell's Eight appearances)
- --- The Rapture - 2003, 2004, 2007
- --- Roni Size - 1999, 2001, 2005
- --- The Section Quartet - 2004 (twice), 2006
- --- DJ Z-Trip - 2001, 2002, 2005
- --- Cedric Bixler-Zavala - 1999 (with At the Drive-In), 2002 and 2003 (with The Mars Volta)
- --- Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - 1999 (with At the Drive-In), 2002 and 2003 (with The Mars Volta)
- --- Ozomatli - 2001, 2002, 2007
- --- !!! - 2004, 2007
- --- Air - 2004, 2007
- --- Amon Tobin - 1999, 2003
- --- Arcade Fire - 2005, 2007
- --- Atmosphere - 2004, 2006
- --- Beck - 1999, 2004
- --- Belle And Sebastian - 2002, 2004
- --- Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals - 1999, 2003
- --- Björk - 2002, 2007
- --- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 2002, 2004
- --- Bloc Party - 2005, 2006
- --- Blue Man Group - 2002, 2003
- --- Bright Eyes - 2004, 2005
- --- BT - 1999, 2002
- --- Cut Chemist - 2002, 2007
- --- DJ Shadow -1999-2007
- --- The (International) Noise Conspiracy - 2002, 2004
- --- G. Love And Special Sauce - 2002, 2003
- --- Groove Armada - 2002, 2003
- --- Jack Johnson - 2002, 2003
- --- Jurassic 5 - 1999, 2002
- --- Ladytron - 2003, 2006
- --- LCD Soundsystem - 2004, 2007
- --- Los Amigos Invisibles - 1999, 2006
- --- The Mars Volta - 2002, 2003
- --- Mike Patton - 2005 (with Fantômas ), 2007 (with Peeping Tom )
- --- Mogwai - 2004, 2006
- --- Nightmares On Wax - 1999, 2003
- --- The Prodigy - 2002, 2005
- --- Queens Of The Stone Age - 2002, 2003
- --- Rage Against The Machine - 1999, 2007
- --- Raymond Roker - 1999, 2001
- --- Red Hot Chili Peppers - 2003, 2007
- --- Sage Francis - 2004, 2005
- --- Sigur Rós - 2001, 2006
- --- Stellastarr--- - 2004, 2006
- --- Supernatural - 2001, 2004
- --- Talib Kweli - 2003, 2005 (as part of Black Star)
- --- Thievery Corporation - 1999, 2003
- --- Tool - 1999, 2006
- --- Underworld - 1999, 2003
- Alexander, Donnell. "Big Things" . ''Los Angeles City Beat''. April 26, 2007. Accessed May 15th, 2007.
